


Call Me When You Get Home

by wordsmith_kari



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, Hamilton Challenge, Pines Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 12:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18498985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsmith_kari/pseuds/wordsmith_kari
Summary: Stan and Ford are getting ready for their big boat trip, but something is bothering Stan.  Meanwhile, Mabel and her mother have a disagreement.





	Call Me When You Get Home

He wasn’t worried. Worrying would be stupid. Those kids had helped stop an apocalypse and vanquish an interdimensional demon. A bus ride was nothing. There was nothing to worry about.

…he was a little bit worried.

“Stanley! Are you packed yet?"

“Huh? Oh. Yeah."

Ford raised an eyebrow as he took in the opened duffel bag on the floor and the clothes strewn around it. Stan glanced towards it too.

“Okay, not exactly.”

They were getting better at communicating but it still didn’t come easily. Ford didn’t know if he should prompt him or just wait for him to speak.

“Ah…yes, well…you know, I have some projects I could work on if you…”

Stan’s eyes widened. “Oh. If you don’t…don’t want—”

“No, I didn’t mean…” Ford sighed and tried again. “Why don’t you tell me why you haven’t packed yet?”

Stan said nothing, just pointed his thumb at the clock over his shoulder. Between packing and cleaning out the lab, he’d lost track of time. It was already seven.

“Huh. Later than I thought. Let’s get a good night’s sleep and go in…wait. Weren’t the kids supposed to be home by four?”

“Exactly.”

Ford blinked. “I’m sure they just…forgot to call.”

“Yeah.”

“Their parents probably took them out for a welcome home dinner or something. They hadn’t seen them all summer, after all.”

“Yeah.”

Silence stretched, the ticking clock the only sound in the house. Stan gripped the frame he’d taken from the wall, a picture of the kids he’d been planning to pack. When the phone rang, they both jumped. Stan grabbed at it before the first ring had finished.

“Mabel?”

“Hi Stanford, it’s Abigail.”

“Abigail? Is everything all right? Kids get off the bus okay?”

“About that…”

Stan’s heart dropped.

“I went to pick the kids up, and there’s Mason and Mabel _with a pig_.”

Stan snorted and looked at his brother. As their eyes met, Ford’s shoulders visibly relaxed.

“Yeah. Waddles. You get used to him.”

“What were you _thinking_?” she demanded.

Stan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Can I talk to the kids?”

His niece-in-law grumbled, but he heard the shuffling for the phone.

“Grunkle Stan?”

“Hey squirt. Good bus ride?”

“Yeah, we’re good. Aren’t you and Grunkle Ford supposed to be on your boat trip by now?”

“Yeah, well…clean-up took longer than we planned, decided we’d just get an early start tomorrow.”

He used to be so good at this lying thing. Now he could practically hear Dipper wince. “Sorry we didn’t call. Mom and Mabel are having a, uh…disagreement.”

“About the pig?”

“Yeah. Mom says he can stay, but only in the backyard.”

“That’s not gonna work.”

Dipper chuckled. “Nope. Mabel’s been on the porch for three hours. Says if Waddles isn’t welcome in the house, she’s not coming in either.”

Stan laughed. “That’s my girl. At least there aren’t any pterodactyls in California. Probably.”

“Yeah… And the weather is still pretty nice too.” He lowered his voice. “If Mom doesn’t give in soon, I’m just going to take our sleeping bags out and we’ll have a campout.”

“And _that’s_ my boy.”

There was a ruckus in the background. “I better...”

"Yeah, go on.  Take care of your sister."

"You too.  I mean...you know."

“I know.”

“And, uh…you know, if you wanted to…call us. When you’re back from your trip.”

“We will. Good luck.” He hung up and told his brother about Mabel’s standoff. Ford laughed.

“He also said to call when we get back.”

He nodded solemnly. “They’ll be all right.”

“Course they will,” Stan said, standing and putting the picture in his duffel bag. “They’ve got each other.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm trying to do more writing, so I've embarked on the "Hamilton Challenge." 51 works in 6 months. The motto is "finished not perfect."
> 
> It won't all be fanfic, but I figured I'd post the pieces that are. That also means that I'm open to prompts, so.


End file.
